Kettle Pizza $149.95

Have you heard? Pizza’s the new hot dog.  Only problem is, it’s tough to cook on the BBQ (though the end result is divine) because every time you open the lid you let out all the heat, and a pizza needs to cook fast and hot. Kettle Pizza converts any kettle BBQ into a pizza oven, circulating the heat to a desirable 600-700 degrees, ensuring a crispy crust and lots of oohs and aahs.

Grill Wrangler $37.99

If you’re flipping burgers, you need a spatula.  If your grilling veggies, you need tongs, and if your’e roasting hot dogs, you need a fork.  Why not have one utensil that does it all?  The Grill Wrangler from Quirky is the grilling utensil of your dreams: Press the easy-release button and it morphs from a spatula to a grilling fork to tongs.  Yes, it’s all that and a bag of barbeque chips.

Grillbot $99.95

Roomba, how you spoil me! Now I want one for everything I need to clean, including removing the caked on gunk from my grill grates.  Well, howdy Grillbot! I love how you scrub it all with the push of a button, and you can even stand the heat of a just-used grill! (Just make sure you turn off the flame or you’ll send your Grillbot to the burn ward.)  Brushes are easily removed, dishwasher safe, and there’s even an option that’s friendly to non-stick grills.

Looftlighter $63.96

You went to Whole Foods and bought the fancy grass-fed burgers.  So why, in heaven’s name, would you use lighter fluid to ignite your grill, and give everything you cook a gas taste? Yuck.  Grab your Looftlighter instead— it heats up to an astounding 1,200 degrees F to ignite wood or charcoal pellets with ease (and no lighter fluid).  The safety casing cools to the touch a few seconds after use, and oh-ho! It even has a handle that doubles as a bottle opener!  I love a gadget that solves so many problems at once!

iGrill $79.99

For the serious outdoor cook who wants his rotisserie chicken or ribeye to come out perfectly, but doesn’t want sweat over the grill for hours.  iGrill is a digital thermometer built for the heat of the ‘cue with a direct line via Bluetooth to your iPhone or Android.  Have a cocktail with guests and it will text you when your food has reached the perfect internal temperature.

Simplehuman Quick Grip Napkin Holder $19.99

It’s one of those little problems that feels big if you’re eating outdoors on a windy day— the napkins blow away, resulting in lots of litter, stress (and dirty faces).  Leave it to Simplehuman to create the perfect solution— a weighted tension arm on this napkin holder makes it easy to pull out just one napkin at a time, keeping the rest in place. It holds 75 napkins and has a rubber base, so it won’t slip or slide.

TableQ $4500

Okay, this one’s a bit pricey, but who can put a price on a table that lets you roast your own marshmallows right in the center?  Cooking should be communal, and TableQ definitely brings everyone together.  It comes with four UV-resistant wicker chairs, and tempered glass tabletop that stays miraculously cool despite the heat of the grill.  If you want something memorable to heat up your next party, this table’s got the goods.

Chillsner $29.95

Chillsner, where have you been all my life? I never knew how badly my beer bottle needed you until I sipped perfectly chilled beer through your spout, until you added the chill without diluting my beverage.  Just freeze and insert into any bottle (beer or otherwise) and never again suffer through a warm brew. Brrr-illiant. 

Solar Powered Umbrella $299.99

Please, don’t get up— this umbrella charges your device while you lounge in the shade.  The fade-resistant fabric umbrella sports solar panels and a built-in battery, so it’s collecting energy when the sun’s out, and can even charge your USB device even when the clouds roll in.

I know for most parents it's daunting— not because they lack smarts or good parenting skills, but because it just feels like they need a degree from MIT to figure out their kids' lives.  I love when app developers come up with solutions that aren't fear-mongering, but provide sane solutions that are easy to use.  AppCertain is one of them, and I'm currently testing it and liking the results.  It's a monitoring app that sends you an alert when your child downloads an app on his or her devices (currently works on iDevices only). Parents sign up for an account, then install a "configuration profile" on your child's device.  Now when your kids install an app, you get a notice, along with some notes about whether or not it allows things like content sharing, location capture or in-app purchases.

I can see this perhaps being an invasion of privacy once my kids are solidly into teenhood, but mine aren't there yet.  My 12-year old had no idea why Snapchat wasn't a good idea, and my 8-year old unknowingly spent hundreds of in-app dollars one afternoon playing Dragonvale (I had all the charges reversed several stressful hours later). So I'd say my kids are ideal candidates for AppCertain— especially my older one who doesn't enjoy handing over his phone for inspection.

So while AppCertain doesn't eliminate the need for good old-fashioned eyeballs on your kids while they're on their devices, it does help parents keep their thumb on all those taps and swipes.

That might be how you feel if you don't live with an animal that sheds. If you do, you're likely ear-to-the-ground at all times for solutions to your hairy problem. When shopping for a vacuum, I'm looking for three things: 1. That it doesn't lose suction and leave hair and dust behind; 2. That it has a HEPA filter that pulls the other junk in my house out of the air and traps it, and 3. That I don't have to mess with bags. And now, a fourth thing that I didn't know I was looking for: That the attachment that grabs the hair off my couch doesn't get tangled (normally, scissors are involved after a while, and I have to cut the hairballs away... gag). Dyson's DC 41 Animal complete has enlightened me on that fourth point, and makes good on the first three as well.  Watch the video to see the Dyson go head-to-head with Jenny, and win the Battle of the Shed. So impressed was I with this vacuum cleaner that it's now my vacuum of choice for Casa Knobloch.

The rest are just... vacuous.

*Thanks to Dyson for sending the vacuum for review. I received no other compensation and my words are (always) my own. 

Urban Sitter is like OpenTable for babysitters— I talked about them here a while ago, and love the service.  Just post a job listing (even at the last minute) and get responses from local babysitters, with reviews, and information about who gets re-booked often and who rates well.  Need someone CPR-trained, or que parle Francais? No prob: You can filter by expertise and experience.  Thanks to Facebook Connect you can also see who friends have used and liked, so you can book with confidence. Then on the big night, you can pay online, so you don't have to fumble with money at the door.

And just to make things even easier, their new iOS app is packed with features, including a messaging app so you can communicate if one of you is running late, or gets lost finding the house.

To enter: Leave a comment on this post, telling us where you'd go if you had a babysitter for the night (and with who!).

For extra entries:

1. FOLLOW @carleyknobloch on Twitter and tweet the link to this post with #sittertwirl and make sure to include @carleyknobloch.

2. LIKE us on Facebook AND share the link to this post on your wall. Make sure to send us a screenshot or link of your share to giveaway@digitwirl.com.

So, you can get a total of 3 (woot!) entries to win! Good luck!

Contest open to US residents only, see our Terms & Conditions page for more details, contest open through 05/17 at midnight PT.

1. A subscription to Uppercase Magazine, $15 and up
2. Roku LT, $49
3. Tylt Band, $39
4. Frends Layla Headphones in Rose Gold, $199
5. S.W. Basics of Brooklyn Clove Body Oil, $12
6. Original Art from Serena & Lily, $65 and up
7. JustMobile AluPen in Gold, $18
8. Butter London Matte Finish Top Coat, $18
9. Baggu Pouch M in gold, $40
10. Madewell Holepunch Sidewalk Skimmer in Burnt Sienna, $98
11. Everpurse in Persimmon Leather, $249
12. Soundfreaq Flower Freaq Speaker/Charger, $350.00
13. Next Issue Subscription, FREE for 30 days, $9.99/month
14. Clare Vivier Oversize clutch/laptop sleeve, $258.

Looj from iRobot $299
Cleaning your gutters is messy... and dangerous. Perfect job for a robot! Cleans all the dirt, leaves and grime out of there, breaks apart clogs, and then you send it back to it’s original startpoint and pick it up.

Scooba from iRobot $279

Who wants to clean their bathroom floor? Not me. The Scooba's hygenic clean water/dirty water chambers make it even more sanitary than a mop, plus navigation technology means it never gets stuck in a corner, falls off an edge or misses a spot.

UV Cell Phone Sanitizer from Violight $49.95

Cellphones are a breeding ground for germs and bacteria... and they spend a lot of time near our face.  Ultra Violet rays disinfect your phone in all it's nooks and crannies, along with anything else you can fit in the tray, like headphones or an MP3 player.

Washable Keyboard from Logitech $39.99

If you ever eat at your desk, or are prone to spills, this keyboard is for YOU (and by you, i mean me as well).  You can scrub this durable keyboard in a sink of water... it's completely waterproof.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Microfiber Mitt from The Container Store $5.99

This one mitt can dust your whole house— you can backhand the dust with the chenille side, pulling dust and cobwebs from corners, and the smooth side buffs and polishes.  It’s particularly good for dusting anything you don’t want to use chemicals on, like TVs, computer screens, and more.

Plug Hub from Quirky $24.99
It's, like, a jungle of wires under my desk.  The Plug Hub keeps things orderly, with a spot for my power bar and an enclosure that brings all my wires down to the floor in an orderly fashion.

Doxie Go from It's Apparent: $199
Time to get rid of those photos lying around and paper piles on your kitchen counter.  This little scanner can travel to any room in the house, and store scans for later.  Or the wireless option means you can scan on the go and your documents will magically appear on your smartphone or tablet as you go.

I've been traveling a lot lately, which means I'm working from all kinds of planes, trains and automobiles. So a personal Wi-Fi hot spot has now become a luxury-turned-necessity. Having a personal hot spot, however, doesn't mean I have to hog it all to myself.  I wouldn't win friends that way, now would I?

Thankfully Karma, a new take on personal wi-fi, let's me be the giver that I am.  I can share my wi-fi connection and earn data for being so nice.

How it works: Purchase the cookie-sized device for $79, and start with 100MB of data— pay $14 for 1GB as you need it. No monthly fees or contracts. Civilized.

Then the fun starts: Use it anywhere to get online, and if another person (or 5) hop on to your connection, they each get 100MB of data for free and YOU get a whopping 500MB just for sharing.

I am using it for the first time today, and while it's a new service and I was skeptical as to whether or not it would catch on, I was happy to get this email in my Inbox right before I boarded my plane.

I don't know who Mandy is, but she just gifted me a bunch of data.  Now that's good Karma.

For now, Karma works in 80 cities— check if they've got you covered here.

We all know that communication is the key to a good relationship. Technology can get a bad rap for keeping us apart with our noses buried in glowing screens, but there are great gadgets and apps that can actually help you to connect with your valentine… and even fan the flames.  I visited the Today Show a couple weeks ago to share my favorite tech for keeping your love alive.  Have a look see... and Happy Valentine's Day!

Hoodie Buddies ($29)– Isn’t it nice when form and function get it together? Hoodie Buddies are cozy sweatshirts and streamline jackets, which feature drawstring earbuds and a special secure pocket for a listening device. They’re machine washable and available in a variety of sizes and colors. They’ll never worry about forgetting their headphones again!

JAM Speaker by HMDX Audio ($35) - Good things come in adorable packaging and the JAM Speaker is a good thing. This powerful, rechargeable and stylish speaker can connect with any Bluetooth enabled device from up to 30 feet away and will provide up to 4 hours of portable, wirefree rock. Its available in 6 vibrant colors and comes looking like a sweet little jam jar. Everybody’s ready for this jelly.

The Sirius Onyx Dock-and-Play Car Kit  ($39) is perfect, not only for music lovers, but also for those who love NPR, are obsessed with great comedy or for crazy sports fans. It has universal docking capabilities, which means it would be easy to your people to move it into their house if the game is not over when they pull into their driveways.

Roku LT ($49) - In an age when many are swapping their cable packages for Internet providers, the Roku LT can come in very handy. This teeny, cost efficient device allows them to stream the most current and popular shows directly to their television using Netflix, HBO GO or Hulu Plus. Help your friends catch up on Girls, Mad Men or Downton Abbey quickly so that you’re allowed to talk to each other when the new seasons start!

Audiovox ECCO Personal Pocket GPS Locator – ($54... okay, it's just over $50!) Most of us have a friend who is a little directionally challenged. And the rest of us are that friend. This Personal Pocket GPS Locator can return them right back to their car, their house or the store where you just forgot your wallet. (I mean, your friend. Where your friend just left her wallet.) It’s LED backdrop and long battery life make it a breeze to use. And no one needs to know if you buy two.

JuiceBar Portable Solar Charger ($45) – You know those people who always have a full schedule and a dead phone? The JuiceBar Portable Solar Charger would be the gift for them. This ingenious little guy is no bigger than an iPhone and allows a person to charge most phones, iPods, Kindles, tablets, handheld games, GPS devices and more. Even better the JuiceBar itself can recharge via USB drive OR by solar panel! It is perfect for those who travel internationally, commute to work daily and for those who like to camp. It also features a built in LED flashlight.

iPod Shuffle ($49) - The current incarnation of the iPod Shuffle is the no brainer, guaranteed to please gift for any member of your inner circle this year. It clips on to any collar, cuff or coattail, making it great for athletes and travelers. It talks to you, telling you a song’s title and artist, which means you won’t miss the screen of a larger iPod at all. It comes in 7 gorgeous colors, so you’ll know whose is whose. And it has new easy to use buttons. Best of all - its $49.99. It can also be engraved at an additional cost. “To Me. From Me. Great job with the presents this year....”